Posts Tagged ‘games’
Share and share alike
So I guess I didn't scare you off, huh? Good! Welcome back!
I was reading this post at Simple Mom today about brothers and sisters sharing a room. I left this comment:
My two oldest kids are about 2.5 years apart, my daughter being older than my son. They originally shared a room because of space but as they got older and we moved into a bigger house, they could’ve had their own rooms but they didn’t want to. In fact, they did have their own rooms and yet they would still end up sleeping in the same room, one of them sneaking into the other’s after I’d put them to bed.
So for years they had a bedroom and a playroom, probably up until they were ages 9 and 7. They are now 18 and almost 16 and they’re still extremely close.
I had forgotten all about that until I was writing that comment. Sissy and Bubba grew up sharing just about everything – a bedroom, a playroom, toys.
And then I realized that Princess won’t have that same experience. Since her siblings are so much older than she is, she doesn’t have to share much with them other than the TV, the Play Station or the computer.
Now I don’t want her growing up to be spoiled, selfish or stingy. (Ok, it might be a little too late on the spoiled thing.) I want her to be compassionate, giving, and willing to share with others.
Luckily, I’ve discovered a fun way to do this. Hasbro has this new series of games out called Noodleboro, one of which is the ‘Learning to Share’ Fun Park. She has a blast playing this. Its not just a regular ol’ board game. The layout of the game includes a carnival style layout with 4 different stations. The goal is to win prizes from each game and if you win more than one of a certain kind of prize, you earn a star by sharing your extra prize with another player who doesn’t have one.
The best thing about it is that there is no “winner.” The point of the game is for the entire group to collect enough stars before the sun goes down and the park closes. So rather than putting player against player, the players are working as a team.
We’ve had a lot of fun with this game. Of course, there have been times where we don’t worry about collecting the prizes and the stars; we just play with the little carnival games.
Oh, and if your child doesn’t have any problems sharing – meaning they’ve outgrown the “Mine!” stage – then you might want to try the other Noodleboro games. There’s the “Learning About Manners” Picnic Basket game and the “Learning to Listen” Pizza Palace game.
Childhood is Calling
Mine was Rice Krispie treats! Oh man…I still love ‘em and I was so tickled when they started selling the little individual snacks. But after checking out the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies website at Childhood Is Calling, I have this overwhelming urge to grab a box of Rice Krispies, a bag of marshmallows and make a big ol’ batch of Rice Krispie treats.
I was kinda puzzled about the URL of the website. Usually websites tied to well-known products are [Name of Product] dot com. But once I went to check it out, the name of the site made sense. I was having so much fun on it, I may or may not have told Princess to wait her turn. 
There is just so much to do on there. Its not your average “Hey, Mom, buy this for your kids!” website. Its more of a family website. There are about 13 different games and activities for pre-school and school age kids. I had a good time My daughter was having fun decorating Rice Krispie treats in all kinds of shapes like this rainbow one.
They also have a song on there called ‘The Box of Fun’ that you can download or you can watch it on video and even play along with little homemade ‘instruments’ from the crafts and activities page.
For the grown-ups, Childhood is Calling has a recipe section where you can share your own or search for new recipes, the story of Snap, Crackle & Pop (you can even look at a gallery of cereal boxes for each year) and the standard product information, nutrition information, special offers and newsletter sign-up.
My favorite section of Childhood is Calling is definitely the Operation Spark page:
“To help bring families closer together through play, Rice Krispies® and Playing for Keeps have partnered to create Operation Spark. Using a panel of renowned parenting experts, Operation Spark provides insights and advice about how to strengthen the family connection and turn everyday moments into quality time.
Playing for Keeps is a national nonprofit organization that gives parents, teachers, child-care providers, the toy industry, and others useful information about children’s play and its vital role in helping kids reach their full potential.”
So if you’ve got a kid that’s always looking for Mom-approved websites for games and fun or you’re looking for some new ideas for family activities… Childhood is Calling!
